Mercury Smartcraft Depth Alarm

[Moose]

I have the smartcraft on my tach. For a while now the depth alarm goes off fairly frequently no matter the actual depth! it is through hull original install. the alarm signal will go off then continue to show "depth alarm" for various periods of time, then go back to normal soundings. I've checked my alarm settings and everything is where it's supposed to be. Any input, thx.

 

[Moose]

Added info. Looked through archives of this problem and found what I had thought all along! Had bottom painted last year, and posts seem to indicate that the transducer head may have been painted too! One of the older posts on this subject suggest you use the plug when you remove the thru hull transducer, and clean said transducer and replace? This was for a boat in the water? I'm not sure I want to remove the transducer, "quickly" and put the plug in before I sink. I know that this should ideally be done on the rack. Has anyone ever done this?